Centrifugal compressor and heat exchanger unit



Aug. 28, 1962 K. F. GOLDMANN ET AL 3,050,962

CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR AND HEAT EXCHANGER UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1961 m M a Wm M J w z Z United States Patent 3,050,962 CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR AND HEAT EXCHANGER UNIT Kenneth F. Goldmann, Clearwater, Fla, and Joseph R. Lejk, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to Chrysler Corporation,

Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 83,020 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-517) This invention relates to improvements in refrigeration apparatus, and particularly concerns compacting this apparatus by means of enclosing the evaporator, condenser, and centrifugal compressor in a unitary horizontal housmg.

Heretofore it has been customary to provide separate housings for the compressor and condenser units of large refrigeration apparatus such as chilling units used to cool water in large building installations. Moreover, in these systems the assembly of the various portions in the field has been laborious and time-consuming due to the necessity of exterior piping required by the separate housing sections.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide for a refrigeration system a factory-assembled compressor, condenser, and evaporator housing structure which utilizes a minimum of space and allows a maximum of efficiency of the system.

A specific object is to provide a refrigeration system housing utilizing a parallel wall centrifugal compressor diffuser as a back plate for the compressor as well as the end wall of the shell housing the heat exchanger equipment.

A further object is to provide the above system with structure which allows easy removal of the condenser and evaporator tube banks.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a typical refrigeration system embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the unit of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the unit of FIGURE 1 taken along the line corresponding to 3-3 of FIGURE 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a refrigeration unit embodying the present invention comprises a shell 12 containing the evaporator section 14, the condenser section 16, and the centrifugal compressor and diffuser section generally designated 18. A prime mover 20 is operably connected to the centrifugal impeller 22 shown in FIG- URE 2. All of this structure may be conveniently mounted on a base 24 by means of mounting sections 26 shaped to conform to the bottom of the shell #12.

The shell 12 is internally provided with a condenser section enclosure comprising floor portion 28 and Wall 30 supported by longitudinally spaced brackets 32 welded to the shell 12 and walls 30. Two groups of U-shaped water tubes 34 and 40 are connected to the header 35 and are commonly supported to each other by means of the tie-bars 31 and 33, secured by the sheet metal strapping 39. The upper tie-bars 31 support the tubes on track 37, and the condenser heat transfer assembly can be removed for maintenance by disconnection of the water-box manifold 41 and disassembly of the header 35 from the end wall 43, sliding the condenser bank of water tubes out of the condenser section 16. Water-box 41 comprises a cold water inlet 36, an interconnecting portion 38, and an outlet 42.

The evaporator or chiller section 14 comprises a base or distributor plate 44 and side walls 46 which are welded 3,050,962 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 to the inner sides of the shell 12. The base 44 is provided with a plurality of apertures 48 therealong as shown in FIGURE 2 to distribute the refrigerant in the form of low pressure liquid uniformly throughout the length of the evaporator bank -14. Bank 14 has two groups of U- shaped water tubes 50 and 53 connected to the header 52 supporting the water box 54 comprising an inlet 55, an interconnecting portion 56, and an outlet 57. This bank of water tubes is supported in the same manner as the condenser bank on tie bars 58, 59, strappings 60, and track 61 and is removable in the same manner.

The condenser section 16 and the evaporator section 14 are connected by means of a conduit 62 which extends exteriorly of shell 12 and takes off from the bottom of the condenser section 16 and enters the bottom of the evaporator section 14 through an expansion valve 63 which may be a float operated type for metering the pressurized liquid refrigerant into the distributor section underlying distributor plate 44.

The front end of shell 12 is provided with a parallel wall diffuser comprising an insulated inner wall 64 and an exterior wall 65 which contains a volute annulus 66 of increasing depth and width as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The inner wall 64 is provided with an annular flange portion 68 which retains an inlet vane valve assembly generally designated 72 to cooperatively provide a transitory inlet into the compressor. This vane assembly is automatically thermostatically controlled so that the vanes will close thereby limiting the refrigerant flow to the compressor when a reduced load is desired. A trough 75 acts as a vapor diverter and is supported by longitudinally spaced ribs 77 secured thereto and to the sides of shell 12. The centrifugal impeller 22 receives refrigerant vapor from the evaporator section 14 through vapor separators 61 of metallic filter material such as Kleenflo panels manufactured by Air-Maze Corporation, which separate the liquid refrigerant from the vapor, and discharges the vapor between the walls 64 and 65 of the diffuser until it is conducted through the volute discharge port 76 into the condenser section 16.

We claim:

1. Refrigeration apparatus comprising an elongated shell having a first and a second end, partition means extending lengthwise of the shell and dividing the interior of said shell into first and second elongated compartments adapted to serve respectively as a condenser compartment and an evaporator compartment, conduit means in each of said compartments to accommodate an exchange of heat between refrigerant in such compartment and fluid in such conduit means, means carried by said first end of said shell and providing a fluid communication with the conduit means of said first compartment, means carried by said first end of said shell and providing a fluid communication with the conduit means of said second compartment, means providing a refrigerant flow connection between said first and second compartments, an expansion valve in such connection, a centrifugal compressor having an inlet and an outlet, means supporting said compressor substantially centrally of the second end of said shell with the compressor inlet in fluid flow communication with said second compartment, said last mentioned means providing an outlet passage extending radially from the periphery of said centrifugal compressor and communicating with said first compartment, each portion of the above mentioned outlet passage being in alignment axially of said shell with no more than one of said compartments with a substantial portion of the outlet passage aligned with other than said second compartment and substantially less than the entire area of said outlet passage in alignment with and in direct heat exchange relation with said second compartment, and a motor located externally of said shell and drivingly connected to said compressor.

2. Refrigeration apparatus comprising an elongated shell having a first and a second end, partition means extending lengthwise of the shell and dividing the interior of said shell into first and second elongated compartments adapted to serve respectively as a condenser compartment and an evaporator compartment, means providing a fluid flow connection between said first and second compartments, an expansion valve in such connection, a centrifugal compressor having an inlet and an outlet, means supporting said compressor substantially centrally of the second end of said shell with the compressor inlet in fluid flow communication with said second compartment, said last mentioned means providing an outlet passage extending radially from the periphery of said centrifugal compressor and communicating with said first compartment, each portion of the above mentioned outlet passage being in alignment axially of said shell With no more than one of said compartments With a substantial portion of the outlet passage aligned With other than said second compartment and substantially less than the entire area of said outlet passage in alignment With and in direct heat exchange relation with said second compartment, and a motor located externally of said shell and drivingly connected to said compressor.

/ References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,596,195 Arbuckle May 13, 1952 2,830,797 Garland Apr. 15, 1958 2,992,543 Moody July 18, 1961 

